Ashiq Hussain Qureshi

Qureshi was born on November 28, 1949, into a landed gentry family.[1] His father Sadiq Hussain Qureshi was a Governor Punjab and his cousin Shah Mahmood Qureshi is a former foreign minister.[2] He was educated at La Salle Higher Secondary School, Multan and Aitchison College.[3] He was interested in cricket from an early age and was a member of Pakistan Under-19 cricket team.[4] Later, he joined Pakistan Army and attended the Pakistan Military Academy.[5] After graduating from the Pakistan Military Academy, Qureshi served in the armored corps regiment before joining the Foreign Service, with tenures in Paris and London.[5][1] Following his return to Pakistan in 1978, he focused on utilizing cricket for societal transformation, establishing the P & T Gymkhana cricket club in Lahore.[5]

Qureshi held the position of France's consul general in Lahore, for which he received the French honor, the Légion d'honneur.[5] His cricket team, the Pepsi Cola Lahore Club, won 14 of 18 national club cricket tournaments from the 1980s to the 1990s.[5][1]

In 1983, Qureshi made his first-class cricket debut for Pakistan Railways against United Bank Limited.[1][6]

Beyond cricket, Qureshi was an athlete, holding multiple records at various levels. He was also an active philanthropist, contributing significantly to the establishment and functioning of Imran Khan's Shaukat Khanum Hospital, and heading its for underprivileged students and disaster relief.[5]

In his later years, Qureshi played a pivotal role in the establishment of veterans cricket in Pakistan, leading the over 50's side to the World Cup final.[5] He is also remembered for his iconic photograph greeting captain Imran Khan after Pakistan's World Cup victory in Melbourne.[5]